Backpacking Trip: day 31!

Day 31. Edinburgh has been a really nice, relaxing city thus far - today included. Today I slept in a bit and woke up around 8, then went downstairs to get my instant coffee and go on my computer for bit. After that I left my hostel and walked over to St. Andrew's Square where I was getting picked up by the public bus and heading to Rosslyn Chapel just about 10 miles south of Edinburgh. Turns out St. Andrew's Square is a rather large square, and I had to check every corner of it for my bus stop before I found it just as my bus came zipping around the corner. It was about a 30 min. bus ride, and once I got off I made the short walk from the city Roslin to Rosslyn Chapel. In case you don't know - Rossyln Chapel was built in the 15th century, and has become widely known as a very mysterious chapel. One reason that I learned about today is that in the church there are carvings on the wall of ears of Indian corn. It doesn't seem like a big deal, but when you realize the carvings were made 50 years before Columbus discovered America, which was the only place where corn grew in the wild, it becomes somewhat interesting. Some theories are that the person who made the carvings was on a voyage that landed in America before Columbus - who knows. Also, Rosslyn Chapel is famous for its Masonic and Knights Templar associations, and even more so because of its importance in the book and film "The Da Vinci Code" - although, as far as I could tell, the chapel did not contain the rose line. The unfortunate thing about it was that it was undergoing some major construction so the outside had a lot of scaffolding around it, but the inside was really nice. After a good hour or so I made my way back to the bus stop and caught the bus back to Edinburgh. Once i got back i got some lunch at........McDonald's! Then I decided, since it was a perfect day outside, that I would do a bit more walking around the city of Edinburgh. I walked into the Old Town and and saw the cafe called The Elephant House. If you don't know the significance of this place then you should. It is where, before she became really famous, J.K. Rowling wrote much of her first few Harry Potter novels...exciting! From there I walked across the street to the National Museum of Scotland where I went inside and walked around for a bit learning some more history. After the museum I walked back to my hostel and decided to kick back for a bit, so I laid down and watched Braveheart on my DVD player. After the movie was over I was tired, but it was too nice of a day outside to sit in my hostel. So I left once again and walked up Princes St. to Calton Hill where I got some good views of the city. After walking back down the hill I bought some microwave food for dinner and walked the other way down Princes Street and into Princes Street Gardens. Here I got some really good views and pictures of Edinburgh Castle. So then I figured I had done enough walking for the day and I made my way back to my hostel where I took a shower and microwaved some curry chicken and rice for dinner. Now I am back at my wifi spot in the pub below my hostel taking advantage of the free internet! Another really nice day. Probably another early bedtime, and I can even sleep tomorrow as well. 8 days left!

Photo I was able to sneak inside of Rosslyn Chapel

Me in front of Rosslyn Chapel

St. Giles Cathedral

Victoria Street

Statue of Greyfriar's Bobby - The Story goes like this: Greyfriar's Bobby was a Skye Terrier in the 19th century who spent 14 years guarding his owners grave in Greyfriar's Kirk.